Republicans Slam Obama Strategy of Contractors in Iraq

Sen. Lindsey Graham (pictured) said on Sunday that the Obama administration’s plan to replace troops in Iraq with private security contractors — what the South Carolina Republican referred to as a “mini State Department army” — puts hard-won American progress in that country at risk.

“The State Department has come to Congress and said, ‘We’re going to need over 50 mine-resistant vehicles. We need a fleet of helicopters and thousands of private security guards. I think that is a losing formula,” he said in an appearance Sunday on CBS‘ “Face the Nation.”

The president has vowed to withdraw most of the estimated 50,000 American troops remaining in Iraq by the end of this year, but Mr. Graham said he would like to see a more phased-in approach, starting with a drop to 10,000 to 15,000 troops in 2012.

Otherwise, he said, the situation could deteriorate and “Iraq could go to hell.”

“This is a defining moment in the future of Iraq. And the Obama administration has the wrong strategy in Libya, and in my view they’re going down the wrong road when it comes to Iraq,” he said.